Anchor-chain compressor and stopper



( No Model.)

W. D. GOLD.

AN UHORGHAIN COMPRESSOR AND STOPPER.

Patented Jan. 20, 1885.

l-Il l! llllll WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES it PATENT @rrrca.

ANCHOlI-CHAIN COMPRESSOR AND STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,117, dated January20, 1885.

Application filed April 15, 1884.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIs D. GOLD, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new andImproved Anchor-Ohainflompressor and Stopper; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part hereof.

The nature of my invention will fully appear from the followingdescription and claims.

The object of my invention is to check gradually, and not so violentlyas to run the danger of parting the cable when the latter is paying outand the anchor has taken hold and the ship being brought to anchor andswung to. An additional danger in suddenly checking the outgo of thecable is that of carrying away the chain stopper or compressor, or partssupporting them, even if the cables should not part.

In the drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of my invention whenemployed as a vertical stopper upon the deck of a vessel,

, showing a broken view of the deck and beams.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my invention as I apply it upon the berth-deckof a naval vessel, showing the compressor open to permit the freepassage of the chain. or detached view showing the springs compressed,and indicating their position when the chain has been checked in itspassage.

In Fig. 1, A is the upper deck of a vesseh B is the housing or casing,supporting the operative mechanism of the stopper, which may be made ofiron or other suitable material.

C O are guides.

1) D are crossbars, which terminate at each end in notches which engagewith the upright edges of the guides O O.

E E are spiral springs, supported internally by rods which, whilerigidly attached to the cross-bar D, slide freely through openings incross-bar D, terminating below the crossbar D in heads similar tobolt-heads.

H is a chock located between the two springs E E, and shouldered upagainst the lower surface of cross-bar D, with a continuous neckprojecting through the latter, termi- Fig. 3 is a broken (No model.)

mating in a screw-threaded end upon which is set the nut F. This nutserves to hold the chock rigidly in place.

Gis a slide, which is arranged to pass up and down inside of the guidesO 0, its upper end being rigidly attached to the cross-bar D either inthe same manner as the chock H is attached to the crossbar D or by aneck passing up through cross-bar D and riveted upon the upper surfaceof the latter.

I I is the chain or cable. which, being beneath the deck, is passing upin the direction of the arrows shown.

J is a hand-wheel, which is attached to a screw-threaded bar, J, andadapted by its revolution to turn the latter.

K is a pierced block, attached to the upper end or housing of standard13, through which this screw-threaded rod passes and with which itengages. This rod also passes through a female screw-threaded hole inthe cross-bar D.

I? is a collar set rigidly upon the screw or screw-rod J, between whichcollar and the hand-wheel .I' this screw-rod is smooth, or, in otherwords, without a thread, by means of which collar the screw is preventedfrom backing up when the latter is so turned as to drive the cross-bar Din the direction of the opening through which the chain'passes.

I L is the opening in the deck,which permits the passage of the chainthrough it as the chain is payed out and brought in.

D D are braces set between cross-bars D and D, by which the push of theformer is communicated to the latter.

That part of the device thus described, which is shown in Fig. 1 asabove the deck, stands vertically thereupon, and is firmly securedthereto, as shown, and is known technically, as the chain stopper.

In Fig. 2 those letters which correspond with those shown in Fig. 1indicate corresponding parts similar in their action, although thedevice shown in Fig. 2 is technicallyknown as a compressor, simplybecause it is situated below the deck instead of being upon the uppersurface thereof.

The compressor illustrated in Fig. 2 is secured in a horizontalposition, or thereabout, to the under surface of the deck to which itisattached by screws M M, bolts, or other suit- I is that part able means,the hole L in Fig. 2 corresponding with the lower part or opening of thehole L in Fig. 1.

A is the lower surface of the deck A, which constitutes the ceiling ofthe berthdeck of a 1nan-of-warthat is, the lower surface of deck A.

In Fig. 2, G is a slide equivalent to the slide G in Fig. 1, with thisdifference in its form, that it terminates in a square frame. Thisslides in guides O O, which latter, though shown detached from theguides G O, are practically a continuation of the same. The chain I inthis Fig. 2 is intended to be represented as going upward through theopening.

0 0 represent the bolt-headed rods which pass through and support thesprings E E, and which the latter play upon.

The operation of my device is as follows: The anchor-cable is stowedbelow the deck of a vessel in what is denominated a chainlocker. hen theanchor is let go, the chain pays out rapidly, and when the anchortouches bottom and suiiicient chain has been run out to let the vesselride easily, it is of the greatest importance to check the chain or holdthe vessel in her then position. In order to accomplish this, thehand-wheel J of the compressor shown in Fig. 2 is turned in such adirection that the threads of the screw J will force the cross-bar Dtoward the opening L. The braces D D will then drive the cross-bar D inthe same direction and compress the spiral springs E E, forcing the rods0 0 out through crossbar D, as shown in Fig. 8. The bearing force ofthese springs will be brought directly against this cross-bar D andforce the slide-bar G against the chain; but the elasticity of thesprings will not bring the pressure of the slide G into rigid contact,but their gradually-increasing pressure will as gradually increase thetension of the chain upon the anchor until it becomes so great that theslide G will engage upon or against alink passing athwartships throughthe opening L and shoulder against the succeeding link, which is aboutto run through a fore-and-aft position, and prevent the further runningout of the chain, and by the time the springs have been so compressed asto have exerted such power as to have gradually checked the running outof the chain the rigid chock H will have abutted firmly against the backof the cross-bar D and lock the chain in its then position. Vhen themechanism is in this position,there will be a brace of solid metalbetween the compressed chain and the wheel J. After the chain is thuscompressed the stopper shown in Fig. 1 is then, to further secure it,closed down upon the chain by the same operation as is described of thecompressor. If it should happen that the slide G in Fig. 1 should comedown upon a link in a vertical position, as there illustrated, the forceof the screw will either turn the link or can be turned by means of ahandspike or rod, which operation will turn the succeeding horizontallink into so nearly a vertical position that the slide will engageagainst such succeeding link.

In a vessel of light burden, or, in fact, in any vessel, either thestopper or the compressor may be dispensed with, only one or the otherbeing used, providing that the parts of the one so used are constructedof suflicient strength.

The cross-bars D D D may be further strengthened by braces, equivalentto trussing, or, instead of being straight, as shown, may be curvedacross so as to be braces in themselves, or may be made thicker in theirmiddles than at their ends. The threads of the screw J, should also bemade heavy,and the female-screw-threaded space through the crossbar Dshould be made long enough to cover sufficient threads of the screw J toavoid the danger of breaking the threads ofi by the pressure of thescrew J pressing against the shoulder-edge of the clamp or slide G, andthe block K should be made more nearly square than shown in thedrawings, to give it a longer bearing upon the smooth portion of rod J,and to enable it to be firmly secured against back-pressure. Thescrew-threads of screw J may be double square or triplesquare threads toincrease speed or action.

A crank can be substituted for the handwheel J.

Many other mechanical arrangements will suggest themselves to the mindsof skillful mechanics to accomplish this purpose; but my object is toaccomplish it by means of a screw and a clamp actuated by the serew,and,preferably, with an intermediary spring or springs, by which means spaceis utilized and time and labor saved.

\Vhat I claim as new is 1. In compressors or stoppersior anchorcables,slide G, set in suitable guides, C O, the screw-rod J ,adapted to beturned by suitable mechanism,J, cross-bar D,with which the screwengages, cross-bars D D,with the intermediate springs, E E, and check H,said crossbars sliding in guides O O, motion being imparted from the barD to the bar D through the intermediate connecting-pieces, DD, allconnected and operating substantially as described.

2. In a compressor or stopper for the anchor-cables of vessels, thecombination of the slide G, screw J, actuating mechanism J to turn saidscrew and parts D D D, guided by guides O 0, intermediate between theslide G and screw J, with which such intermediate parts said screwengages, whereby by the turning of said screw the slide G is drivenagainst the chamber I or released from it, substantially as described.

3. In a compressor or stopper for the anchor-cables of vessels, thecombination of the slide G, screw J, actuating mechanism J to turn saidserew,and parts D D D, and springs E E, guidedpby guides O 0intermediate between the slide G and screw J, with which suchintermediate parts said screw engages,

ICC

whereby by the turning of said screw the springs E E, intermediarybetweenthe screwslide G is driven against the chain I or rerod and theclamp G, to graduate the bite of leased from it, substantially asdescribed. the clamp, substantially as described.

4. In a compressor or stopper for anchor- VILLIS D. GOLD. 5 cables forvessels, the clamp G, actuated t0 Witnesses:

bite the chain by means of a screw-rod, J, WM. H. CARSON, actuated by asuitable mechanism, J, and the l O. P. HOSKINS.

